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trade unions

British settlers brought their customs with them to Australia and New Zealand, and, accordingly, early unions there corresponded closely to the pattern of the home country. The penal character of the settlements established in Australia from the late 18th century was hardly conducive to forming workers’ combinations, but the transition from convict to free settlement brought the first signs of...

Western Australia

Wealthy landowners called for inexpensive
convict labour, which was falling out of favour in the eastern colonies at that time. The British authorities responded by sending nearly 10,000 male convicts to Western Australia between 1850 and 1868. Social problems resulted, but so did signs of economic progress such as road work and public buildings. In the 1860s pastoralists expanded north into...